Letters From the Sky
by Miencat
Summary: AU in which Ludwig finds a phone number in a library book. It only makes sense to call and return it. Gerita Germany/Italy


**Found their phone number in a library book AU feat. Gerita. Tumblr version: tumblr)miencat)com/post/77135999943/letters-from-the-sky (replace parenthesis with dots)**

Letters From the Sky

Ludwig Beilschmidt was a dedicated patron of his local library. He found the most useful knowledge came from books, and reveled in the crisp smell of old leather-bound books as their worn pages were creased and turned. Many had told him that no social skills or friends came from having your nose constantly buried in a book, but if anything he was spurred onwards by this; after all, if one could speak the knowledge, one could certainly find a decent manual on it.

It was no surprise then, that this Sunday, Ludwig found himself in his library's used book store. The library accepted donations of old, used books, and if they had the book already, or it was not popular, they recycled it by selling it to new readers. Today's occasion was a scheduled trip to Rome in eight months; Ludwig was not well versed in Italian, and his accent was certainly not helped by his German heritage. His brother Gilbert may laugh at him now, but Ludwig did not want to be reduced to using English on this excursion, despite it being a nearly international language. Henceforth, here he was, large, calloused hands running down the spine of an Oxford's German-to-Italian dictionary.

After a brief chat with the vendor on quaint, normal topics such as the unusually clear weather today, Ludwig settled on exploring his new purchase at a small cafe down the road. The pleasant weather allowed him to fully enjoy the outdoor seating, sipping happily at his dark coffee as he carefully opened the cover. Oh. Inside the front cover was written in thin, spindly handwriting: "Property of Feliciano Vargas" with a corresponding phone number, Ludwig supposed. He supposed the book must have been lost and picked up by his library. At any rate, it would only be proper to call the number and return the book to its rightful owner, regardless of how Ludwig required it for his own personal endeavor.

Large hands ran through blonde gelled-back locks nervously, as Ludwig contemplated his definite lack of social skills while methodically punching out said number into his phone. Half expecting to be greeted with a dial tone or a wrong number it was a (pleasant? No, he thought, he was too socially awkward for this to be pleasant) surprise when he was greeted with a light, cheery voice eagerly introducing itself.

"Ciao! Feliciano Vargas speaking!"

Ludwig felt a lump forming in his throat, what was he supposed to say? Perhaps he should have thought this through a bit longer.

"Uh, hallo, Mr. Vargas, ah, my name is Ludwig Beilschmidt, and I seem to have come across a book that belonged to you, and ah, I was hoping to return it to you."

Dear Gott, he must sound so awkward and unprofessional.

"Oh! Wow thank you Mr. Ludwig! Do you know where the Java Cafe is?"

Ludwig felt his anticipation increase tenfold. He wanted to actually meet? Face-to-face?

"A-ah, yes, I actually happen to be there right now."

"Oh great! I'll be over in a half-hour, just let me find some pants first..."

Ludwig wasn't entirely sure he was supposed to hear that last comment, but he found himself wishing he had more social connections, because for all he knew, this could be a normal exchange. Almost.

A half-hour passed far too quickly for Ludwig's liking. It was not too long into pondering what he was even doing with his life that a bubbly boy with stunning auburn locks came waltzing into the outdoor seating area. For a tense moment, sky-blue eyes met with expressive honey-brown, the exchange between them transcending words either of them could place. As quickly as said moment began, it was over.

"Oh! You must be Mr. Ludwig, si?"

Gulping down his nervousness, Ludwig extended a shaky hand in greeting.

"Ah, um yes, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vargas."

With an excited shake of his hand, Feliciano seated himself across the table from Ludwig, daintily crossing his legs and humming softly. Waving over to the waitress, he turned to Ludwig with a rather determined expression.

"Well, it just wouldn't be a pleasant day without a cool drink, would it? Please, allow me to order you something, since you were so kind as to wait."

Ludwig was struck by the smaller man's kindness. They had hardly even met! Regardless, he was certain it would be rude to turn down Feliciano's offer.

"A-ah, I'll just have tea, unsweetened, if you would be so kind."

Feliciano batted his eyelashes playfully at the waitress in turn. "Ooh, and I'll have a lemonade please miss! Grazie, bella!" The woman giggled at his air-blown kisses, before retreating to the kitchen to retrieve their order. Ludwig was unaccustomed to flirting, but it made him antsy to watch it occur between two people he didn't know. Was he supposed to see that?

But Ludwig's thoughts were interrupted as Feliciano directed his attention back to their previous conversation.

"So what of this book then?"

"Ah, yes." Ludwig gently removed the dictionary from his bag, carefully sliding it across the table to Feliciano. "I found it in the public library's used book store, I assume you must have lost it?"

Feliciano's delicate fingers lightly traced the letters on the worn cover, before delving into the pages to examine the contents. With a small "hm" as his eyes fell across the handwriting on the inside cover, he placed the dictionary back in front of Ludwig.

"Well, it would seem this was one of my old college resources. You see, I'm originally from Venice, but I obviously needed to learn German to move out here. I guess I should have whited-out the message in the front cover before I turned it in. You're welcome to keep it if you wish."

Ludwig felt a small rush of excitement at the prospect of new reading material, but he quickly doused the idea with a "Thank you, sir."

Feliciano gazed interestedly at him. "By the way, why are you learning Italian anyways?"

Much to Ludwig's surprise, he spent the remainder of the day chatting idly with Feliciano, explaining his life at home with Gilbert and his three dogs, and learning in turn about Feliciano's brother, Lovino, who lived in Rome and what a coincidence it was, perhaps you could say hi for me? The day ended pleasantly enough, with Feliciano sliding a small paper with an address and cell number written in that same spindly writing across the table.

"Call me if you need any help learning Italian, si? It was very nice speaking with you, Ludwig, we ought to meet again sometime. Ciao!"

Ludwig was left at the cafe table, twiddling the paper between his thumbs, wondering if perhaps he finally had found a friend.

It took him about a week to finally muster up the courage to call Feliciano, to suggest they meet up for coffee again this Sunday. To which Feliciano joyfully agreed, and again the day was filled with idle chatter. It was a change in pace for Ludwig's normally quiet, business centered (although when that business was baking it was hard to call it much less than a passion) life, and one he openly welcomed. This time he was slightly less surprised when Feliciano invited him over for dinner sometime, inquiring if he still had his address, to which Ludwig shyly revealed he had memorized, so excited he was to have a friend beyond the American in the dog park or the reserved Japanese man who was so fond of lemon meringue pies.

That "sometime" turned out to be Wednesday. Feliciano's home was a two-story brick house in the suburbs, with decor that far exceeded any expectations Ludwig could have put forth. Feliciano revealed that he too, had an affinity for the culinary arts; he was the head chef of that five-star Italian restaurant downtown, a position he attributed more to the fact he was an actual Italian rather than any skill. Although, with the three course gourmet meal he seemed to pull out of thin air, Ludwig begged to differ. Tomato basil soup, Caesar salad, and an entrée of fettuccini placed Feliciano's skills high on Ludwig's list, seeing as the extent of his own started and ended with pastries and pies. Ludwig had, of course, brought desert, a simple homemade apple pie, seeing as you couldn't really go wrong with that. Although a small part of his brain wished he had brought something to better match the fabulous feast that was Feliciano's meal. Regardless, Feliciano seemed to enjoy it, stating it was one of the best he had ever tasted.

Feliciano today spoke of more personal matters; he and his brother were born in Venice, and attended primary, secondary, and college there, then he moved on to a culinary arts school, ending up in Germany, where he had quickly risen up as head chef. His brother, Lovino, attended a business university in Rome, and went on to become a successful lawyer, meeting a partner from Spain and getting married a few years later. Ludwig revealed he had been born and raised here in Berlin alongside his older brother Gilbert, who was albino; and he moved on to culinary arts school as well, choosing to open his own small bakery which was doing rather well for the times and had a grade A staff, if you asked Ludwig. Gilbert, on the other hand, worked at the local pet shelter, hence how they ended up with three dogs, and had recently become infatuated with one of his female co-workers, Elizebeta Hedevary. The two lived together in the same apartment in Berlin, maybe one day when Gilbert was out, you'd like to come over?

Feliciano said that yes, yes he would love to, but meeting Gilbert wouldn't be all that bad, he assured him. Through the course of the meal it was decided that the two ought to collaborate on language lessons, as Ludwig's accent was too thick for Italian, and Feliciano's rather sing-song for German. Ludwig felt a rush of joy at having finally found a true friend in his adulthood, and the two quickly fell into the schedule of meeting up every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, whether at their cafe or respective homes. Gilbert had been introduced, but he was made civil and tamed by his new girlfriend, or the innuendos were just too cleverly woven into his speech patterns to notice. Gilbert had given them a cocked eyebrow on many occasions, but nothing more, and Ludwig was grateful. While it was true that Feliciano was enigmatic and delightful, Ludwig didn't dare ruin their friendship by announcing that his interests were..._different_.

Until a little over a month later, on a chilly February afternoon. Feliciano had invited Ludwig over that day, and despite his wonderful hospitality, he seemed greatly put off by something. Ludwig tried not to let it get to him, and just enjoy the company of his friend and the warm atmosphere that typically shrouded the home. It was only when Ludwig was putting on his coat to leave that Feliciano spoke his mind.

"Say, Ludwig. Today is San Valentino, you know? And I was wondering, why did you choose to spend the day with me instead of your girlfriend or something?"

Ludwig blinked several times, slowly buttoning up his coat before responding.

"I, ah, don't have one. In fact, I didn't even notice today was Valentine's Day."

Feliciano extended his hand to rest on Ludwig's shoulder, forcing him to turn about and look him in the eye.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend? You're such a nice and attractive guy, I'd be willing to bet lots of girls would like you."

Ludwig hung his head shyly, nervously intertwining his fingers. In all honesty, it was better if Feliciano knew the truth, so he could judge upfront. Maybe if Ludwig had mentioned this in the beginning, they wouldn't have made such a connection, and it wouldn't be so terrifying to lose a friend now. But Feliciano ought to know, and not just the lame excuse of 'I'm not currently looking for anyone'. Ludwig refused to meet Feliciano's eyes as he spoke.

"To be honest, I...don't really like girls. I-I mean..."

Feliciano's eyebrows shot upwards, and Ludwig felt his stomach tighten into knots and his palms began to sweat.

"I-I'm so sorry...I should really go now."

With that, Ludwig turned on his heel and shuffled towards his car, head held low. Honestly, he had expected such a reaction, but it still hurt beyond anything he'd let himself feel before. Just as he reached into his pocket for his keys, he felt a hand on his wrist, holding him back.

"Hey."

Ludwig didn't look up. He didn't want to face a lecture or hatred from the innocent, airy face he trusted.

"Hey. It's okay. To be who you are, I mean."

Ludwig felt a lump forming in his throat. He still didn't look up, but now he couldn't form a coherent response either.

"Why don't you stay for dinner, okay? We can talk about this. Or we don't have to, if you don't want."

Ludwig allowed himself to be ushered indoors, still numb from the unexpected sympathy. Was this a cruel fantasy of his mind, just trying to soften the blow? Feliciano sat him down on the couch and began preparing a small meal. Ludwig hugged his knees to his chest, dreading the confrontation that was to come. Feliciano set the oven to 245 degrees and slowly made his way about the kitchen, hesitating as he pulled open this and that drawer, eventually making his way back to Ludwig's side with two cups of tea. Placing the tea on the table before them, Feliciano gently placed a hand on Ludwig's shoulder. Their eyes met for a brief moment, nervous blue meeting desperate honey brown in an attempt to gain understanding, before Ludwig averted his gaze again.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you. I don't think any different of you because of this, okay?"

Ludwig nodded slightly, feeling returning to his dulled senses as he slowly uncurled himself from his fetal position. He still didn't bring up his head, fingers nervously toying with the handle of the teacup.

"You know my brother is with a guy, right? I didn't mention it before because I didn't know if you'd be okay with it. You can talk about it, if you want."

And Ludwig recalled that yes, Feliciano had said his brother was married, but he had just said 'partner' and not specified a gender. With this information setting in, the nervous fluttering of his insides began to still, and he felt rather silly. So he lifted his head, and he spoke.

He spoke of primary school, where no one had noticed or cared, least of all Ludwig himself. In secondary there was a slight rift as other boys began dating, and he had nothing to show. They prodded and joked, but Ludwig wasn't quite sure he was ready for relationships just yet, so he ignored them. In college was when it truly set in. He didn't like girls, he liked guys. And the other kids made fun of boys who did that, so he mustn't tell. But the teasing persisted anyways, mostly due to the fact he never dated anyone, but the words still stung. He finally told his brother Gilbert, who said it was okay, but the insistent teasing had already convinced Ludwig otherwise. He became quiet and reserved when he entered university, choosing to bury himself in his studies and ignore the looks from other guys. When university was done, he chose to remain silent about the matter, seeing as he didn't dare scare away the few acquaintances he had in his adult life. He admitted that yes, he was very scared to lose Feliciano as a friend, because he didn't have any, and because Feliciano had become his friend without caring that he was socially awkward or noticing that something was different. And that was very important to him, and please, please, don't judge too harsh. Ludwig felt his breath catching heavily in the back of his throat as he spilled everything he had never said.

And Feliciano seemed to sense his unease, and began rubbing light circles into Ludwig's back, assuring him it was okay, you are who you are, and it was rude of others to judge. And the quiet reassurances and rubbing soon eased Ludwig into a sort of calm, a sense of security he hadn't yet felt. It had gotten awful late, and dinner was ready if he wanted it. Feliciano's warm smile soon coaxed him out of his shell, and the two ate with the previous tension all but eliminated. It was pitch black out when they had finished, and Feliciano insisted that Ludwig stay the night, there was a guest room and it was better than driving home in the dark.

So he did. By morning it had set in just how accepting and gentle Feliciano was, and Ludwig opted to make him cinnamon rolls and apple tarts for breakfast, finishing just as Feliciano descended the stairs. Feliciano was stunned by the kind gesture, and things fell back to an (almost) normal by the next week.

However, Feliciano was now slightly touchier, gentler and sweeter if possible, and Ludwig wondered if it was normal for his heart to accelerate when confronted with such behavior. Gilbert had apparently noticed as well, because the cocked eyebrow evolved into catcalls and whistles.

So maybe it wasn't a surprise to anyone when one day Feliciano scooped up Ludwig's face in his hands and deposited a firm kiss on his lips, proclaiming, "You're beautiful, y'know?"

And maybe it was no surprise when Ludwig kissed back with a bright red blush covering his cheeks, wondering if it was really okay for his heart to be doing these loops.

And it was no surprise to anyone, when six months later, Feliciano had joined in their trip to Rome, and Gilbert stated it was "Such a shame there's three of us and only two beds in this hotel room." But no one truly minded, and in all honesty, Gilbert was just glad his little brother had found himself and his happiness along the way. They did meet Lovino and his husband Antonio, an odd couple if Ludwig said so himself, and while Lovino seemed to have something against Germans in general, he eventually accepted Ludwig on his brother's behalf.

But what was a surprise, was that when two years later, Feliciano Vargas dropped to one knee in front of Ludwig Beilschmidt, the event was a direct result of an Oxford's German-to-Italian dictionary dropped in the donations box of their local library.

* * *

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